Sunday, November 22, 2015

Within the world that we live in, we know three dimensions that apply to space, which are up-down, wast-west, and north-south, which are our form of directions as in where to be, to go, and other things of that nature. However there are the Fourth and Fifth Dimension that also exist within our space.

The Fourth Dimension is considered as Time. Thou we can move freely within west, east, north, and south, along with moving up and down, we can't move within time freely but only go forward in time. Physicists experimented with spacetime and discovered that both space and time are unified in different ways. They discover that as we look out into the sky, we look backwards in time due to how long it takes for light to reach us here on Earth's surface.

The Fifth Dimension also known at the Outback, is a space that is perpendicular to our dimension or brane. In the film, it is viewed as a viewpoint into physical manifestations of time where it can be interacted with. As where Cooper was able to change some events and cause the saving of humanity by messing around with stuff in his daughter's bedroom, eventually finding out how to give her the equation to figure out gravity. The way to the fifth dimension as seen by Cooper, was that "We brought ourselves here", meaning he thinks that not in his lifetime will this be created or movable with, as we to this day are still trying to figure out time travel, so we can travel freely in time, but at the moment can only travel in 3 dimensions to this day.

However there is more than just five dimension, but the fifth dimension is actually about 6 more, but for the sake of the movie, 6 is too many, and the decided to make it only the fifth dimension.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

For this Monday, Nov. 9, we watched Star Trek from 2009. For today, I have two things that I'll be talking about, which is the physics of Warp Drives, and of Phaser Banks.

As most people know is that Warp Drives are used not only in Star Trek, but also other movies like Star Wars (Punch it, Chewy!), Space Balls (Ludicrous Speed!), and other sci fi movies that need a way to travel to other star systems with out having to deal with years of interstellar travel. How wrap drives work are allowing spaceships to travel in factors of the speed of light!

Wrap Factors (WF) is taking the number of the WF to the power of 3 times the speed of light.

So for example if I'm going to go at WF 5, that would be 5x5x5 = 125 x C = 37,474,057,250 m/s as our Final Velocity, which if we were headed to travel across the Milky Way, would take us 800 years.

So with Warp, it allows starships to travel long distances to other star systems in minutes instead of years! Imagine if Spock going 2,000,000 Light Year to the Andromeda system at Warp 5, he would be over 16,000 years old, turned into space dust along with a extremely rusted star ship. Warp is just another way to lessen movie times if you think about it. Another thing about Warp Drive, is Inertial Dampeners, but thats another thing that is used to reduce the effect of inertia caused by accelerating light speed and decelerating from light speed. Without it, I believe that the crew of the USS Enterprise and every other ship would be dead.

Now on Phaser Banks! So as for Phaser Banks, of course with ships of any kind (depending) needs some form of defense, like how Pirate ships back when boats were still wooden would use cannons that fired cannonballs, starships use Phaser Banks! Which is phaser based weapons that are mounted on starships like the Enterprise, that use particles. As according to Phil Plaits' Bad Astronomy, you can NOT see lasers coming at you, because the weapons are considered as light, so they travel at the speed of light, and that beams of photons would need a medium in space to be able to view them. So as them being involved in Star Trek, it would render space battles and action to be completely boring except when a random explosion shows up on the ship that gets hit from something. Pretty boring if it was just explosions... sounds like a Micheal Bay movie.

Sunday, November 8, 2015

In Fat Man and Little Boy, we take a view into the background behind the creation of the two atomic bombs that were used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The scientists in the film were more dealt with stress of making this weapon instead of the consequences that would come from it. As the bomb came closer and closer the scientists began to split and separate their views on the project at hand. They took sides either to complete the bomb and put it to use, or to not finish it (or at least demonstrate it and have it not approved). Even after Louis Slotin, a scientist working on the project was exposed to radiation, the project was still underway and completed. Louis later died from radiation syndrome nine days later.

For me, if I was made to research into weapon applications, I would automatically refuse as I would rather find a more helpful way to incorporate my discoveries. Even if it was my only option in the career of science, I'd rather have my research benefit mankind for the years to come instead of causing many deaths to happen.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

With the use of fossil fuels in everyday machinery being used constantly, we produce carbon dioxide that pollutes the air. Humans are a direct cause of global warming. We've caused climate change that has increased Earth's temperature by 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit and is expected to rise between 0.5 to 8.6 degrees in the next hundred years. Climate change doesn't just affect the Earth but everyone and everything on it. Animal migration, food supply, energy, and the environment can be affected by the climate. An example is from "The Day After Tomorrow": due to increased heat caused by greenhouse gas emissions, the natural weather patterns of the Earth shifted. This resulted in cooling by altering wind patterns. In the movie, this climatic shift caused massive bird migrations.

Fossil fuels are a constant resource that humans use for transportation, electricity, and factory production. Most people commute in cars, which use gasoline (a fossil fuel). carbon emissions from the cars pollute the air. `this polltion is Also known as greenhouse gases, which absorb radiation and heat up the Earth causing global warming.

As shown in the chart above, the temperature of the Earth has risen over the past 95 years when the Earth was balanced at around 0 increase. Humans are the cause of this increase in temperature and will continue in the coming years if greenhouse gases continue to be produced.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

2001: A Space Odyssey is a "culture" movie from 1968, which gave definition to physics and showed great examples of what gravity is like in space. It was top rated in many Top 10's for different things and was even rated #1 for best science fiction movie. It gathered many people to watch this movie when the movie was released, people either loved the movie or actually hates the movie. I didn't exactly like it or hate it as a movie. The "story" was about the black obelisk that was believed to be an alien. They sent Dave with a few other astronauts to journey to Jupiter for a mission along with the AI, HAL-9000. For me, the story was drawn out quite far that I couldn't really enjoy the full film at the time of the original showing with the rest of the class. What's good about the movie are the examples of good physics within the movie as well as a few that of which arn't completely good.

One of the good physics in the movie that I would like to announce is the space stations that is in orbit of space. It rotates to simulate gravity in the station so that people are able to walk around and not use "grip" shoes. Without the rotation, they would have needed another form for people to be able to actually stand on the station. Unless they have grip shoes for everyone to use or have an artificial gravity generator that can be found in the future. Having the station rotating makes up for this fact and shows great physics for a movie from the late 1960s

One of the bad examples that I would say is the use of the explosive bolts on the pod that Dave had use. Dave used the pod to get his friend who was flying out into space, only to decide to let go of him and find a way into the ship. He used the explosive bolts to shoot himself into the emergency airlock, but at the same time, the bolt should have shot the pod the opposite direction into vast space unless he just so happened to have the thrusters on, but that would have mean't that the pod would have been moving if it were not still. If the explosive bolts were enough to shot Dave into the airlock, and blas t off the door, I believe it would have been able to move the pod away from the ship.

Overall, I found the movie to be good as people have said, but not in my best interest as to movies that I prefer to watch instead. I love the examples that it has for physics and how that they are displayed even through not all of the examples are 100% realistic. It's just not a movie that I would want to watch again, I would only watch it again if it was with others or some other reasons. If your looking for a movie to pass some time, this is the one for you.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Ever wondered of how Superman and his powers work with actual physics. Well back when he was only a comic book character, remember how it was said "He could leap tall buildings in a single bound"?

Question is how high he could actually leap then. His range was 660 feet, what he would need in velocity to make that height to jump off from the sidewalk to get to that max height. With his final velocity, at 660 feet,which will be 0. Meaning his initial velocity would be 140 miles per hour is what will determine his highest point. Superman also weighs 220 pounds and his mass is 100 kilograms. The force of gravity remains constant through the entire event. With his initial speed, the force of gravity, and the max height that he can leap, how do you explain how he can reach that velocity in a leap?

Thou he crouches and pushes back on the ground, he is still effected by the force of gravity along with his mass and acceleration. This is where you take in the account that he is not earth born, but from the planet Krypton, where the gravity is much stronger. Superman's DNA made his muscles and body to survive the force of gravity on Krypton his home planet, so just much stronger is the force of gravity on Krypton?

If we say that Superman weighs about a 100 kg in mass, then force is equal to 100 kg in his mass times his acceleration of 250 meters/sec^2. Then the force he produces for the vertical leap is 5600 lbs. Supposing that his amount of force is 70% then what his legs could actually supply, Superman would have weighed 3,300 pounds on Krypton. His mass is constant even on different planets. So saying that he weighed 220 pounds on Earth and 3,300 pounds on Krypton, with the acceleration and the gravity on Krypton, the force of gravity on Krypton would have been 15 times greater than on Earth. Meaning this difference in gravity allows him to be able to generate the force needed to leap a 660 foot building while having the initial velocity of 140 miles per hour with a simple crouch jump.

Source:
The Physics of Superheroes by James Kakalios
Chapter 1, pages 21 - 32
Published by "Gotham Books"

Sunday, September 20, 2015

This week in the Physics in Film class, we watched Armageddon. The story is on the Earth about to come in contact with an asteroid that would destroy the planet. So they came up with the plan of using a nuke inside the asteroid and cause it to be made into 2 pieces of asteroid of "iron ferrite". They had to dig into the asteroid and blew up a nuke. For this week, I choose to do research on some physics behind the HAIV or Hypervelocity Asteroid Intercept Vehicle. It consists of two main part. The Leader and the Follower (Nuke Body). The Leader is an extended sensor that is to be used as a initial detonator to created a crater for the Follower. The Follower is a nuke with a 1500 kg payload capable of 6.276x109 Joules. The purpose of the HAIV is not to destroy asteroids but to re-direct them away from Earth. The total mass of the HAIV is 4242 kg.

The main question is whether Earth is really prepared for what could be a Planetary disaster that could happen. The majority shows that in time we'll have to wait and see when the time for a real life Armageddon comes our way.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

This week we at the Physics in Film class, we watch Eraser from 1996 with star, Arnold Schwarzenegger. We will be using the scene the railgun is first used in the movie. It was where the gun was used to kill Lee Cullen's ex stalker boyfriend (Mr. break into the house and take a shower while I wait). When the ex-boyfriend was shot, he was heading to get down *insert Arnold saying "GET DOWN" here* and when he was hit, he flew back and was pinned against the wall. Railguns known for their penetration power and in this movie "known to shoot bullets at the speed of light" wouldn't have pinned the guy against the wall. At the same time, we have to see how the sniper was able to shoot the gun with barley any recoil to it at all. *Seems like bologna to me*

For this I analyze what was need for this.
I looked for the average of humans (80.7kg), of assault rifles (3.99 kg), and of an average bullet (0.00454kg). I looked and estimated some of what was need for the velocity of each object, most almost not having much or any at all. If the shooter shot the railgun with no or minimal recoil, means that it didn't move him or changed his velocity which consisted of 0 m/s. If the bullet went at the speed of light then it's velocity would have been 299,792,458 m/s. The boyfriend stalker was falling to the ground so I estimated his speed at .46/m which is close to 3 mph. Using these I would find the momentum of the bullet and see where the energy carries on for both the shooter and for the stalker boyfriend.

After seeing the work, you should be able to tell the the energy from the railgun being shot, should have given a strong amount of recoil, that should have either sent the gun flying and maybe even the shooter too.

As for the boyfriend, he shouldn't have been pinned to the wall as he was. The bullet would have broken through the body and kept going. It is quite possible that it could have vaporized the body, leaving a giant hole, or maybe even nothing at all. The body would have also gone farther in distance compared to the distance he flew from where he was to a wall that was about maybe 3 meters away.

Seeing the analysis, the movie defies Physics and isn't accurate to an actual railgun that in this current day can only shoot bullets at the speed of 2500 m/s. The only real railgun that we've seen was the one from the Navy, which shoots aluminum rounds that are the size of about 70 mm rounds (guess/estimate).

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Could a person actually make that swing from one building to another?
- Distance between each building. Length of rope used to swing. Speed of Hunt as he swung as.
The distance between the buildings, I would like to say that they were about 40-50 meters. The length of rope would have to be from about around the same amount of about about 60 or more meters long to make the swing and be able to get atop of the roof. As for how fast Hunt ran, the average speed of a human is what is used which is 12 m/s, but doesn't account for the equation for a freefall, that takes in the account of gravity. -9.81 m/s ^2

2) Magnet of thrown explosive

Can the magnet of a small hand explosive really make that giant curve onto the steel beam it landed on?
- Distance away from the steel beam. Distance of any other metal that was closer to the magnet. The scene was quick to picture but I estimate the furthest the explosive was from beam was about 3 meters away, while it was closer to a random flat shaped box of metal materials by about half a meter away.

3) Explosion that exploded behind Hunt, but launches to the left.
Distance from the explosion. Speed of Hunt. Hunt runs about 6 meters from the explosion while sidetracked from getting the gun from the trunk. Average human sprint is about 12 m/s, but half if sidetracked and injuried with pain. The force of the explosion would have needed to come from the left not from behind.